The invention relates generally to an information assistance system and method. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for providing information assistance and telephone service.
In a typical directory assistance call of the past, a caller would identify to an operator the name and address of a party whose telephone number was desired. In response, the operator would locate the desired destination telephone number and provide it to the caller. The caller would disconnect from directory assistance and then dial the destination number on his/her own. The directory assistance call was either free or was charged a flat rate, regardless of the length of the call. The resulting call to the destination number was charged as a regular call according to the caller's calling plan (e.g., payphone call, pay-per-minute, pay-per-call, or unlimited calling), the carrier, and whether the call was local or long distance. This call sequence included two distinct calls, with each one priced separately.
More recently, directory assistance companies have offered callers an option to be automatically connected to the destination number without first terminating the directory assistance call. Generally, the caller is charged a fee for accepting this option. However, even though the caller does not have to disconnect from directory assistance, the call sequence is charged to the customer as if two calls had been made—one to directory assistance and one to the destination number, with the connection fee being typically added to the directory assistance charge. One reason for this continued, separate billing is that the directory assistance provider is often different from (i.e., unaffiliated with) the carrier providing the telecommunication service. In addition, the charge for the directory assistance call (and the connection fee, if any) may be a flat fee, regardless of how long the caller is connected to directory assistance, whereas the resulting call to the destination party (e.g., if it is long distance) is typically charged based on its duration.
Another reason calls are separately billed is illustrated in FIG. 1, which shows prior art arrangement 100. Arrangement 100 includes directory assistance 110, switch 140, caller terminal 10, and destination terminal 20. The caller calls directory assistance 110 and caller terminal 10 is connected over connection 115. The caller requests the number of a destination party (located at destination terminal 20) and the operator looks up the number. If the caller elects for the operator to complete the call (rather than hanging up from the operator and calling himself), directory assistance 110 connects caller terminal 10 to destination terminal 20 via switch 140, which typically is part of a carrier network. When the call to destination terminal 20 is finished, both the caller and the destination party hang up. The carrier network bills the directory assistance service for the connection from directory assistance 110 to destination terminal 20, and the directory assistance service in turn passes the cost of the connection to the caller as part of the directory assistance service charge.
An advance over this directory assistance scenario is found using, e.g., the StarBack® feature. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,092, StarBack® allows a caller, after being connected to a desired party, to be connected back to directory assistance by pressing a designated key (such as the “Star” (*) key) on the caller's telephone. If the caller desires to make another call after finishing a conversation with a first destination party, the caller invokes StarBack® and is redirected to directory assistance 110. If the caller has directory assistance connect him to a second destination party, directory assistance 110 connects the caller to another destination terminal via switch 140 or another carrier switch. When the call to the second destination party is finished, the caller and the second destination party may both hang up or the caller could again invoke StarBack®. Each call completed through switch 140 is considered by the carrier to be a different call, because the carrier does not track the origins of the call. Thus, each call is billed separately, as is the directory assistance call itself.
Information assistance is an extension of directory assistance. In addition to finding a destination number and connecting a caller terminal to the associated destination terminal, information assistance operators can provide concierge-type services such as a restaurant guide and reservation service, event ticketing and reservation service, hotel reservation and availability service, travel or flight reservation and ticketing services, ordering specific items such as flowers or food delivery, arranging transportation, and accessing entertainment guides. The use of information assistance to provide such concierge-type services is disclosed in, e.g., commonly-assigned, co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/520,306, “Technique for Providing Information Assistance Including Concierge-Type Services,” filed Mar. 7, 2000, incorporated herein by reference.
In addition, if a caller subscribes to an information assistance service, the caller may have one or more user profiles on file with the service that includes information pertaining to and about the caller, including his/her preferences. Such information may include a list of contacts (i.e., a personal phone directory), a schedule of appointments, to-do lists, notes, and personal preferences about such topics as restaurants, movies, sporting events, or hobbies. The caller may access the information assistance service in order to connect to a contact, retrieve an appointment or to-do list item, set up a new appointment or to-do list item, or request information about a restaurant, movie, or sporting event falling within the caller's personal preferences. The information assistance service may connect the caller to the contact or restaurant, or may make reservations at the restaurant or movie or sporting event as desired by the caller. The use of information assistance to provide these types of information management services is disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pub. No. 2002/0055351 A1, published May 9, 2002, incorporated herein by reference.
Moreover, a caller may have a question regarding his or her information assistance services bill or a related question, which can be directed to customer service rather than to information assistance. For callers' convenience, the information assistance service provider may have one contact number for all of its services, typically a directory-assistance-type number that is easy for customers to remember.
Thus, a call from a caller to an information assistance service may involve all of these activities (directory assistance, concierge-type services, information management services, customer service) as well as connecting calls to destination numbers. In addition, using a feature such as StarBack®, the caller may engage in a series of calls with the operator and with destination parties. Typically, perhaps because of the history of billing directory assistance separately from the connecting calls, each of these separate activities is billed separately, even though the caller does not hang up the handset between each activity.
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/366,816, filed Feb. 14, 2003, incorporated herein by reference, discloses billing such calls together as a single, bundled call. As disclosed in that application, the bundled call is part of an enhanced telecommunication (telecom) service concept. Instead of having each part of a call billed separately, such a call is billed as a single call, e.g., on a per-minute basis (e.g., 9¢/min.), on a per-call basis (e.g., $2.00/call), or on a hybrid basis (e.g., $1.00 for first 15 minutes, 5¢/min thereafter).